Soccer Dad

Get some color

Last week I was in the car listening to the news. I kept hearing how teens get tans even though it's not good for them.

Almost 80 percent said they knew tanning can be dangerous and that childhood sunburns increase risks for skin cancer. Yet 66 percent said people look better with a tan, nearly half said tans look healthier, and 60 percent said they got sunburned last summer.

Girls were more likely than boys to wear sunscreen (53 percent versus 33 percent) and to say they were at least somewhat careful about protecting themselves from the sun (59 percent versus 36 percent).

The results echo previous teen surveys and indicate that despite efforts to get the word out about the dangers of tanning, teens aren't getting the message, said Dr. Darrell Rigel, a New York University dermatology professor involved in the survey research.

Not so fast. Secular Blasphemy links to an article that says:

So the thinking is this: Even if too much sun leads to skin cancer, which is rarely deadly, too little sun may be worse.

No one is suggesting that people fry on a beach. But many scientists believe that "safe sun" - 15 minutes or so a few times a week without sunscreen - is not only possible but helpful to health.

Or as Instapundit notes, tongue in cheek:

COMING SOON, new research on the health benefits of whiskey and cigars. (He also has a link to an article from a year ago on the same subject!)

Posted by SoccerDad at May 24, 2005 05:43 AM | TrackBack